PUEBLO WEST — A 33-million-dollar state-funded construction project is just about complete, and it's going to make your drive a lot smoother and safer.
Known as theU.S. Purcell Interchange, a bridge that is now part of Highway 50 has been put in place and opened above Purcell. Also, two former stoplights have been removed, making traffic a lot smoother for those taking this route.
The Colorado Department of Transportation tells me this project was really needed to make this area safer for drivers. I'm told switching from traffic with stop lights to a bridge makes things safer. This is because it gets rid of rear-end collisions and removes left turns and high-speed traffic.
Commute times will improve since there’s now no signal to stop people driving along Highway 50.
I spoke with Barry Halley, an employee who works at the cyclone carwash here and takes this commute daily. He says since the bridge was put here and the lights taken out, things have been better for drivers and business. "It makes the commute a lot better because as you know, pueblo west is growing like crazy and the traffic has gotten a lot better, especially during crazy times,” said Halley.
The project also added a third lane on Purcell and added more sidewalks, curbs, and gutters.
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